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Why the Bargnani trade was a good move

Brandon Tierney wrote a solid article into why this trade was a good one by Glen Grunwald, once again.....

Nice job, Knicks.

No longer viewed as a franchise-player, the former # 1 overall pick should flourish in a supporting role in New York.

Letís be honest: 40 years without a title has deprived too many Knick fans of a realistic prism of evaluation. The senses are skewed, the books bogged down for more than a decade with horrific trades and pathetic mid-level signings.Luckily, thanks to the patient hand of Donnie Walsh theyíve recovered, even though sadly, that has been largely forgotten. 50+ wins and the Atlantic Division crown is a sign that the ice has thawed, and hell is no longer frozen over. Title contender? Nope.Which is why they need to tinker and adjust and move some pieces around the board. They did just that over the weekend agreeing with the Raps on a multi-player deal, one I happen to like very much.Trust me, they were never getting Rondo with the spare parts they shipped to Toronto. Never. Which leads us back to reality.In evaluating the Knicks-Raptors trade, there are three primary parts to dissect:1) What did you give up?2) what did you receive in return?3) how does the move affect the salary cap moving forward?Enter, Professor Tierney.Class is in session, feel free to take notes.Players/assets:1) Steve Novak is a limited, one-dimensional shooter unable to create space vs aggressive defenses. He was invisible in the playoffs, and is a liability. That will never change. Iím banking on Copeland returning to New York, but even if he doesnít, Novak was highly expendable.Advantage: Knicks. 2) Marcus Camby is completely untrustworthy at this point, and has been for years. Even if he flashes for a week or two, his season will consist of multiple interruptions. Like Novak, Camby too was highly expendable.Advantage: Knicks.3) A 1st round pick in 2016 plus a pair 2nd round picks. Firstly, NBA teams can easily recoup 2nd round picks and while they sound good in theory, in terms of practical application, they are virtually useless. Donít believe me? Letís rewind, shall we.2000: Lavor Postell2001: Michael Wright, Eric Chenowith2002: Milos Vujanic2003: Maciej Lampe, Slavko Vranes2004: Trevor Ariza2005: Dijon Thompson2010: Andy Rautins, Landry Fields2012: Kostas PapanikolaouWhat in the world would the Knicks be without those studs? All second rounders, by the way.As for the 1st round pick, itís a move with risk, absolutely. However, despite most fans resistance, Iím OK with this. To get something, you have to part with something. Toronto did the Knicks a favor by taking dead weight with guaranteed money for multiple years off their books. This is a fair exchange.Advantage: Push.Andrea Bargnani: Iíll spare everyone the scouting report, because he is what he is, and thatís not going to change. At least not from a skill-set perspective. Heíll never rebound and heíll never bring an ounce of toughness to the floor. When evaluating Bargnani, however, disregard the vitriol coming from Toronto as he departs. They have a right to feel that way. As a former # 1 overall pick, using that metric, he was an abject failure. What will change with the Knicks, however, is that he will be slotted into a more appealing position: the 3rd or 4th option on offense. Heís 27 years old and should be highly motivated to secure one more decent contract. I like my odds there.Advantage: Knicks. Current and future financial implications:

In the NBA, itís all about managing cap space and eventually being in position to be in position.

Camby was due $7.4 million thru 2014-15 while Novak was on the books for three more seasons totaling roughly $11 million.Bargnani will make $11 million this upcoming season and $12 million in 2014-15.The key however, and it is vital in judging this trade, is that the expiration of Bargnaniís deal coincides with the expiration of the rest of the big money the Knicks are currently committed to.In simpler terms, entering the 2015 season, the Knicks will be staring at a qualifying offer of $3.8 million to Iman Shumpert (may as well sign it now, done deal) and a $4.5 player option of Raymond Felton (plus any draft picks added to the roster).That equates to less than $10 million dollars.To summarize, the Knicks gave up nothing, received a skilled player in return and preserved their financial flexibility moving forward. Oh yeah, they also got better in 2013-14.Advantage: Knicks.Nice work, Grunwald.Class dismissed.

Very interesting take. The best part is when that 2015 free agent class comes to session well have tons of flexibility. Melo and shumpert are our only guarantees for the lineup and well have tons of cap to add legit superstars around them.
I still feel grunwald made this deal with another in mind he's too smart to do this to only slightly improve by 1-2 wins

I agree with everything he said except for what he said about the picks!

He pointed out some draft busts without including gems like Wilson Chandler, David Lee and serviceable players like Nate and Gallo...also the author failed to mention players drafted behind those players he mentioned that had The Knicks landed would have changed the dynamic totally, example being that Micheal Redd was actually drafted behind Postell

Him selectively leaving out solid drafts and merely pointing out our many busts does not give an accurate depiction of the value of draft picks be it 1st or 2nd

I hate losing those picks! 2nd rounders can be purchased but 1st are gold

and lets just take 2006 (kinda poetic since Andrea was drafted 1st that year) as a result of giving up picks for Eddy Curry we lost out on Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Sefolosha and Jokiam Noah among others in 07

and since he wanted to focus on cap..1st rounders are now just as important as lottery picks for tax paying teams

Dude brings up some good points, and had all we given up was Camby,Q Rich and Novak (hell Copeland couldve been part of the deal) then I would say "Advantage" but the picks make this a bonafied "Push" if we're lucky.